


Sunshower

by mugen



Series: Haikyuu Positivity Project [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Chance Meetings, First Meetings, Fluff, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, Kid Fic, M/M, Meet-Cute, Rain, Supernatural Elements, Youkai, influenced heavily by Natsume Yuujinchou
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-09
Updated: 2017-02-09
Packaged: 2018-09-21 13:42:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9551513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mugen/pseuds/mugen
Summary: Exorcist-in-training Ennoshita Chikara meets a youkai boy.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'd by my dear friend [Rev](http://archiveofourown.org/users/itsyavoid/pseuds/itsyavoid).
> 
> Sunshowers are called "kitsune no yomeiri" in Japanese which means "fox's wedding".

The path leading up to the temple is so ancient Chikara feels small. All the trees are enormous, but the forest is not dense. The path is kept neat, as if somebody’s caring for it, but humans rarely venture this deep into the woods. Not anymore—or at least that’s what his grandmother told him. The temple is not far, he should be there in a few minutes.

A gush of cold wind sweeps through the forest path. Chikara grabs the paper shiki he stores in the sleeves of his kimono, ready to cast it in case it’s a youkai.

A rustle of leaves coming from right above Chikara makes him jump backwards. There’s a boy hanging upside down from a low branch, a boy around Chikara’s age, with light brown hair and a cheeky smile.

“Did I scare you?”

Chikara frowns.

“No.”

 _There shouldn’t be humans around_ , Chikara thinks.

“Are you lost?” Chikara asks.

The boy laughs. It echoes lightly, like the sound of a wind chime carrying in the summer breeze.

“Are you with the other exorcists?” Chikara tries again.

“Nope,” the boy answers with a grin. He jumps down from the branch with a somersault, landing right beside Chikara. His hair is messy; he shakes the loose strands from his eyes with a jerk of his head. There’s a smudge of dirt on his left cheek and a leaf stuck in his hair, making a curl sticking up on the top of his head.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Chikara says. “My grandmother says no civilians.”

The boy grins again and with a pop he transforms into a small fox. Chikara gasps, frozen in his tracks. With another pop the boy— _kitsune_ —transforms back into a boy, this time with two fox ears on his head. Chikara can’t see if he has a tail; if he does, it’s hidden under his yukata.

Chikara knows he should get away from the youkai, child or not, but the kitsune boy doesn’t look threatening.

“What’s your name?” he asks instead.

“Kenji.”

Chikara frowns.

“You shouldn’t give your name to an exorcist.”

Kenji laughs. It’s a nice laugh; it makes Chikara want to smile.

“You’re hardly an exorcist,” Kenji says, grinning. “And it’s not my real name anyway.”

“It doesn’t suit you.”

The kitsune boy pouts.

“But it took me such a long time to choose a human name!”

Chikara keeps his face straight. It takes some willpower not to laugh.

“Well, you should choose another one. I can help. How about Rintarou?”

“No.”

“Shouta?”

“No.”

“Akihisa? Hiromasa? Ippei? Kazutaka?”

“No!”

“Manjirou? Mitsumori?”

“I like Kenji!”

Chikara laughs. He laughs so hard he has to hold his stomach.

“I like Kenji, too,” he admits once he recovers. “I lied. It suits you.”

“I hate you,” Kenji says, huffing and pouting. “Human children are so rude.”

“You’re just easy to tease.”

Before Kenji could react, there are fast drops of warm rain. In a few seconds there’s heavy rain, the full-blown summer drizzle kind. Kenji steps right next to Chikara, grabs his left wrist and starts to drag him off the path.

“I know a place,” Kenji says over his shoulder. “We can hide in there till the rain stops.”

 _No_ , Chikara thinks, _he can’t go with him_. He digs his heels into the ground.

“I can’t,” he says. “I can’t go off the path.”

“It will be fine!” Kenji insists, trying to drag him into the forest.

Chikara shakes his head.

“The temple is right there anyway. I can run. Please let me go.”

“I’m not trying to… Gah!” Kenji shakes his head with a grimace, putting his hands up in the air in surrender. “Wait here, under that tree.” He points to a big beech tree. “I’ll be right back.”

The pebbles squeak under his geta as Chikara moves to stand under the tree. Kenji’s right, the rain barely gets in there. His yukata sticks to his back and even his socks have gotten wet. He squirms a little and adjusts his obi to make wearing his wet yukata more comfortable.

He looks up to Kenji shouting “Good, you’re still here!” He has a huge leaf in his hands, almost as big as an umbrella.

When Kenji runs to Chikara’s side he shoves the leaf to Chikara’s chest.

“Take it,” Kenji says, avoiding Chikara’s gaze.

“But what about you?”

“I like the rain,” Kenji says, looking back at Chikara. He flashes a smile.

“Thanks.” Chikara takes the leaf and puts it above his head. “I have to go. I don’t wanna make my family worry.”

Kenji nods. He looks like he wants to say something, but in the end he doesn’t.

“Bye, Kenji,” Chikara says with a little wave. Kenji waves back. “My name is Chikara, by the way.”

Kenji grins.

Chikara grips the leaf hard and starts running towards the temple.

“Visit me one day!” Kenji shouts.

Chikara doesn’t look back when he yells, “I will!”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/mahoushoujc).


End file.
